Zen buddhism book recommendations

If you want a quick understanding of zen, religious conclusions are less valuable than a historical overview of what happened in china with key zen characters from 400 to 0. He became the leading authority on buddhism of the twentieth century and essays in zen buddhism was the first book to fully introduce zen in the west. Dr suzuki reached his zen enlightenment at the age of 27 and for the next 65 years he wrote widely about buddhism and taught at universities in europe and the us. While our buildings are closed, search results return digital items only by default. Suzuki was the author of more than a hundred works on the subject in both japanese and english, and. If you are curious about the buddhas teachings, or want some pearls of wisdom to inspire your practice, these books are just what youre looking for. Songs and stories from the therigatha by susan murcott. Mission the zen buddhist temple of toledo is a notforprofit organization fostering the teachings of zen buddhism as adapted to western cultural forms and traditions by providing training in the disciplines, practices, and devotions of zen buddhism and by providing suitable surroundings, instruction, and support for the teaching and practice of zen buddhism. Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional. The japanese art of decluttering and organizing oct 14, 2014. Suzuki roshi presents the basicsfrom the details of posture and breathing in zazen to the perception of nondualityin a way that is not only remarkably clear, but that also resonates with the joy of insight from the first to the. Includes historical, philosophical, theological, and spiritual texts.

A lot depends on what you want from an introduction something that talks about what to expect from a formal zen practice or something that talks about ideas and applications in daytoday living. I gather he wrote a seminal book in 1934, an introduction to zen buddhism, which helped popularize the movement in the west. It contains detailed and wellresearched information on the life. Below, weve compiled about 70 stellar book recommendations from members of the ted community. Top 10 books on zen buddhism watkins mind body spirit. These include his short pamphlet about the buddhist precepts, a pamphlet. Informal talks on zen meditation and practice by shunryu suzuki, treasury of the true dharma eye. A list of recommended books and articles for students of zen buddhism. Within the pali canon of theravada buddhism, there is one book called the therigathathe verses of the women elders.

Not relying on scripture, doctrine or ritual, zen is verified by personal experience and is passed on from master to disciple, hand to hand, ineffably, through hard, intimate training. Complete with blackandwhite photos throughout that illustrate the many aspects of zen buddhist culture and religion, including temples, relics, artifacts, and the ceremonial objects used by. Amazon photos unlimited photo storage free with prime. The poetry of zen translated and edited by sam hamill and j.

The first zen books to read are the ones that help you to recognize zen between the lines. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. Zen buddhist studies a reading list zen mountain monastery. Dainin katagiri, who was the founder and abbot of the minnesota zen meditation centre, died in 1990, sothis book is an edited collection of talks that he gave, and. Zen buddhism is a mixture of indian mahayana buddhism and taoism. Written in a lively, accessible, and straightforward manner, an. This book is a reflection about the process of life for zen is not only a philosophy but it is a way of life. Soto zen buddhism international center, 1,362 likes 60 talking about this 59 were here. This is just a short and incomplete list of books on zen that i know for myself do not. It is the best book on introduction to buddhism that i have come across. Its not exactly a zen book in terms of being something written by a monk or ordained teacher, rather, its a sincere account of one persons lifelong interest in buddhist philosophy. The best books about meditation and zen buddhism are hard to choose.

Each card contains a particular koan, and the accompanying 64page book explores the meaning of each koan and explains other ways to use the cards for inner fulfillment. Suzuki roshi presents the basicsfrom the details of posture and breathing in zazen to the perception of nondualityin a way that is. Written in a lively, accessible, and straightforward. These are verses which are supposed to have been written by the first buddhist nuns, those who heard the buddha facetoface and renounced and became nuns. Informal talks on zen meditation and practice by shunryu suzuki, the way of zen by alan w. I have to say that fearless puppy on american road and reincarnation through common sense are the best preliminary books to learn about buddhism in general, and i would suggest doing that first before deciding on zen, theraveda, tibetan mahayana. More may be added over time as this is an ongoing project. Heres a selection on buddhism from watkins books shelves.

Historically, zen developed as a blend of chinese buddhism and taoism. Zen gardens and temples of kyoto by john dougill, with photography by john einarsen, is a largeformat hardback title which provides the first comprehensive guide to kyotos most important zen garden and temple sites. A comprehensive resource for zen and buddhism practitioners. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. We could recommend you 100 books but we believe that it would be overwhelming. Death turns out to be less of a crisis and more of an opportunity. Nov 20, 2016 zen buddhism teaches that all human beings have the buddhanature, or the potential to attain enlightenment, within them, but the buddhanature has been clouded by ignorance. Over 1,700 indepth entries from a to z, containing information on the beliefs, practices, and history of zen buddhism as well as its most significant movements, organizations, and personalities.

Ive seen some of his essay collections available online for less and wanted to see what the best starting point would be. It is an example of what is known in india and china as a way of liberation, and is similar in this respect to taoism, vedanta, and yoga. I recommend my book as a starter because it really helps the reader to understand all the basics of buddhist teaching. This reading listbibliography is quite extensive so ive broken it into two pages. The light that shines through infinity by dainin katagiri has the subtitle zen and the energy of life, and discusses the dynamic energy of the universe known variously as chi, qi, or ki as it relates to the practice of zen. Zen buddhism is a way and a view of life which does not belong to any of the formal categories of modern western thought.

The zen koan card pack is an original and accessible aid to gaining insight into the enigmatic wisdom of zen buddhism. Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. Suzuki was the author of more than a hundred works on the subject in both japanese and english, and was most instrumental in bringing the teachings of zen buddhism to the attention of the western world. Aug 10, 2018 i have to say that fearless puppy on american road and reincarnation through common sense are the best preliminary books to learn about buddhism in general, and i would suggest doing that first before deciding on zen, theraveda, tibetan mahayana. The first of a twovolume set, this book offers a detailed account of the history, development, and traditions of the zen school of mahayana buddhism. Nyogen senzaki author, ruth stroutmccandless author nyogen senzaki, ruth strout mccandless view this book on amazon.

Back of the book this book attempts to trace the roots of zen, and its practical approach to a peaceful, harmonious life. For beginners, we recommend elizabeth harriss discussion of introductory books about buddhism donald s lopez jr, a buddhism scholar, also provides an invaluable overview of the foundations of buddhist beliefs if, on the other hand, youre secular but looking. Zen buddhism and mindfulness focuses on philosophy, religion, techniques pertaining to this buddhism sect. List of book recommendations buddhism stack exchange. To overcome this ignorance, zen rejects the study of scriptures, religious rites, devotional practices, and good works in favor of meditation leading to a sudden.

The transcendental game of zen 79card deck and 192page book osho. It explores the emergence of zen from its roots in the buddhist and yogic traditions. After this, the book is split into the three different aspects of zen. Picks from elizabeth gilbert, author the principles of uncertainty.

The book offers a new kind of ethics based in compassion. If you have any other recommendations for a good book, please let me know and ill add it to me to read list. It sets the stage for the intriguing explanation of zen beliefs. Buddhism stack exchange is a question and answer site for people practicing or interested in buddhist philosophy, teaching, and practice. The tibetan book of living and dying by sogyal rinpoche through extraordinary anecdotes and stories from religious traditions east and west, rinpoche introduces the reader to the fundamentals of tibetan buddhism, moving gradually to the topics of death and dying. Fronsdals training in zen and theravada, along with his phd in buddhist studies, have provided him with a thorough grasp of dharma, which he. Mar 17, 2020 i like this book as a good starting point because its mostly an overview without sounding like a manual. Possibly the most recommended zen book these days, zen mind. Being upright by reb anderson introduces the fundamental concepts of zen buddhism and explores its ten basic precepts, including not killing, not stealing and not lying.

It began in china, spread to korea and japan, and became very popular in the. Page 2 of the reading list incliudes zen in various countries, zen philsophy, zen ethics and politics, women and zen, zen monastic life and zen arts. In the forty years since its original publication, zen mind, beginners mind has become one of the great modern zen classics, much beloved, much reread, and much recommended as the best first book to read on zen. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The order of my top 5 book recommendations were changed and reordered a few times since the creation of this article to make the recommendations better in helping people with understanding buddhism, and to reflect availability of the books some of. One of the worlds leading authorities on zen buddhism, d. Written for the neophyte who has no prior knowledge of the subject, buddhism and zen defines basic terms, translates key words, and answers the ten most frequently asked questions that are posed by westerners interested in zen buddhism.

Top ten books for the new buddhist and the curious. Soto zen buddhism international center home facebook. The best books on introductions to buddhism five books. The core tenets of the path is to the basic unity of the universe, to illustrate the universal interrelatedness and perfect coordination where all things and. Books that tempt the zen buddhist practitioner away from the mat, and fill the beginners mind with goals and expectations. The essential books score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. As there is no holy book in zen buddhism, we decided to make a list of the 10 best book to understand zen buddhism. Zen buddhism is one of several subschools of mahayana buddhism, which is itself the larger of the two major interpretations of buddhist philosophy. Buy a cheap copy of an introduction to zen buddhism book by d. Discover the best zen spirituality in best sellers. Dec, 2017 zen buddhism is a strippeddown, determined, uncompromising, cuttothechase, meditationbased buddhism that takes no interest in doctrinal refinements. Presents key source material and information on the zen buddhist tradition, including selections from indian mahayana sutras, along with important chinese and japanese texts.

Suzuki roshi presents the basicsfrom the details of posture and breathing in zazen to the perception of nondualityin a way. Carl jung opens this intro to buddhism from a psychiatric point of view. Reb anderson first introduces us to the fundamental ideas of zen buddhist practice. In this list, tergar instructors cortland dahl and edwin kelley share their recommendations for those who are new to buddhism. Oct 02, 2002 zen buddhism is a mixture of indian mahayana buddhism and taoism. Mar 19, 2010 zen buddhist book recommendations this is kind of a weird thing to post about, and i hope i dont come off as proselytizing, but im oftentimes asked from readers for a list of recommendations for books on buddhism. Aug 07, 2014 shunryu suzuki, zen mind beginners mind. Suzuki roshi presents the basicsfrom the details of posture and breathing in zazen to the perception of nondualityin a way that is not only remarkably clear, but that also resonates with the joy of insight from the first to the last page. When we first start practicing zen meditation, there is this voracious. Who was shakyamuni buddha and what was his central teaching. I like this book as a good starting point because its mostly an overview without sounding like a manual. The standard work on the history of zen for 35 years has now been updated for a new generation of readers. We asked experts to compile reading lists and discuss their recommendations in an interview.

Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Zen exerts an unusually large influence on the worlds perception of buddhism. The illustrated encyclopedia of zen buddhism helen j. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.